Eternal
by Jack Cross
Summary: My name is Ryou. I thought being semi immortal made my life interesting. But now, with the embodiment of darkness trapped inside me and the Avatar being my girlfriend, I think I'm just starting to understand what the word interesting really means.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, I'm back with the long awaited sequel for Ageless. Ryou's adventure continues throughout a very highly altered Book Three and Four, so without any further delay, let us finally get this show on the road. **

**As usual, I do not in any way, shape, or form own Legend of Korra. **

I lay on the sand, staring up at the burnt orange sky overhead. Green and steel colored airships passed by, but I couldn't bring myself to focus on any one of them. A pair of biplanes in the same colors buzzed passed, gone before I could even fully process that they had been there. My whole form was contorted in pain, extending outward from the center of my chest, between my heart and my stomach.

My lungs screamed for air, causing me to cough and gasp. Blood belched from my lips and spilled down my cheeks and side of my face. I forced my head up a little, partly to keep myself from drowning in my own fluids, and partly to see the source of the pain I was feeling. Sticking straight up out of me was a single blade. The end opposite of me was twisted and jagged, as if someone had torn off the hilt of the weapon.

I reached up and grasped the blade with my left hand and pulled a little. Instantly the pain flared up even worse than before, forcing me to stop before I blacked out. Lowering my hand again, I tried gathering my strength to make another attempt at it. If I thought being run through was painful, pulling it back out was going to be even worse.

"Do you see now, the futility of it all?" a black haired woman wearing a dark green uniform with metal attachments asked as she stepped over me. Her fierce green eyes fell upon me, looking down with a steely hate. I don't think I could have answered her even if I wanted to. At this point, I was probably going to drown in my own blood before I fully bled out.

"Did you honestly think you'd be safe here, on your little island? I will reestablish order, by any means necessary," she said. I responded the only way that I could, by spitting a mouth full of blood at her. It came out as more of a spray than anything, and several red droplets landed on her face as well as her uniform. She simply wiped away the drops with only a mild hint of disgust.

"Hm. Defiant as always. The last stand of the Warriors of Kyoshi, I expected more," she said before twisting her hand, causing the blade in my midsection to turn, and me to scream in agony.

_**One Year Earlier.**_

_"Let me out."_

There it was again, that annoying little voice whispering at me from the edges of my mind. My eyebrow twitched slightly as I ignored it and focused on trying to hold a set of chopsticks with only two fingers on my right hand. One of the sticks slipped out of my grasp and clattered down into the small bowl of rice I was eating. I watched as my hand, and by extension the remaining stick trembled.

With an annoyed huff, I sat the pair of chopsticks to the side and began to scoop rice out of the bowl with my good hand. It wasn't the thing to do in polite company, but then again the patrons at the small tavern I was in were anything but polite. The place was small, basically a way station for travelers to stop at for the night. It didn't even have proper electrical lighting, just a couple of candles in a small bowl for every table top.

_"You can't hold me forever. Let me out."_

"More mead, dear?" a young brown haired woman asked. She, like the rest of the place, looked run down. But there was still that spark of youth in her eyes, a hope that she would one day get out of here.

"Please," I said through a mouthful of rice, sliding a simple ceramic cup toward her. She filled it with a cool, golden liquid from a pitcher that was the same color and make as the cup. I gave her a quick smile and said my thanks before taking a large swig of the drink. The sweet elixir was a relief on my throat, and it did wonders for suppressing that irritating voice in my head.

How long had it been since I had left Republic City? Weeks? Months? I wasn't sure. Time tended to blend out here on the road. It all seemed the same to me anymore. A smoke filled barroom, a goal I could never seem to reach, a loved one always kept at bay. That's the gist of my story. No matter how much I want to stop, no matter how far I've come, one thing remains the same.

I go on.

"Spirits, I should have known you'd wind up in a place like this," a gruff, feminine voice said. I looked up, just in time to watch a gray haired woman slide into the chair across the table from me. I regarded her just long enough to get the details before I went back to my bowl. She had fair skin with a pair of scars on her cheek, green eyes, and her gray hair hung down to her shoulders. Although she was wearing a trench coat, you could still easily see the black metalbender armor she was wearing underneath of it.

"Lin. How'd you find me?" I asked before stuffing some more rice in my mouth. Lin Beifong gave me an annoyed glare.

"Give me some credit, Ryou, I am a detective, after all," she said.

"Earth Kingdom doesn't exactly fall under Republic City jurisdiction," I pointed out.

"This is a special case," she replied. I cocked an eyebrow at her, somewhat curious now. Although we had made amends, things were still a little cool between Lin and I. It wasn't usual that she'd come looking for me.

"Must be important for you to come all the way out here for me," I said, voicing my thoughts out loud as I reached for a roll.

"Zaheer has escaped," she said. I froze and looked up at her fully to make sure she wasn't joking. It wasn't surprising in the slightest to find that she clearly wasn't.

"How?"

"He's an airbender now. And he had help," Lin said. Yusei, that could be the only answer.

"What do you mean he's an airbender now? Zaheer was never a bender," I said, confused. Lin reached forward and picked up my cup. She held it up to her nose and took a quick sniff before sitting it back down on the table with a mild look of disgust on her face.

"How deeply have you been drowning yourself into that stuff that you haven't heard what's been going on?" she asked. I gave her a look of my own.

"Not the time, Lin."

"There's been reports of people airbending out of no where all over the world for the past couple of weeks. Apparently Zaheer is one of these new airbenders," Lin explained.

"How long ago did he get out?"

"About a week now. He's been moving about, freeing his old team." This wasn't good. Zaheer and his little band had been the ones who had attempted to kidnap Korra fourteen years ago. In all that time, not a single one of them had broken during interrogation and given up their motives for taking Korra. Each one of them was a highly specialized fighter and incredibly dangerous in their own right. Together, they were truly a force to be reckoned with.

"We need to move, now," I said before standing and downing what was left in my cup in one go. Reaching into my pocket, I fished out a few coins and dropped them onto the table before motioning for Lin to follow me outside into the evening gloom. The metalbender did so while looking rather pleased that we were leaving.

"Lord Zuko is already heading to the last prison to try and head off Zaheer," she said as we walked.

"What about Korra?" I asked.

"The White Lotus are posting guards around her in the South Pole."

"That won't be enough to stop Zaheer and his team, Lin, you know that," I said.

"I know. That's why I want to take her back to Republic City. I can protect her there," Lin said with confidence in her voice. I, on the other hand, wasn't convinced.

"That won't be good enough," I said.

"You don't think I can do it?" she asked, sounding offended.

"I have no doubt of your abilities, Lin. But this is Zaheer we're talking about. When it comes to him, pulling out all the stops is our first step."

"So what do you suggest?" she asked, warily.

"Zaofu," I said. The look on Lin's face turned to one of anger.

"No, no. We are not going there," she stated firmly.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember asking your opinion on the matter."

"We don't need their help. I can handle everything back in Republic City," she insisted.

"Oh, just stop!" I snapped, whirling to face her, "Zaofu is a fortress, and Su is someone we can trust. The situation is much more easily controlled there than it is in Republic City and you know it. Swallow your pride and ask your sister for help." Lin pursed her lips, and it was clear she wanted to continue the argument. I didn't give her the chance as I pressed my teeth into my bottom lip and blew a clear, loud whistle.

A low, loud groan answered, and a few moments later the black form of Ashe touched down next to us. I patted the dragon on the side of her snout fondly before scratching her where her jaw met her neck. Like a massive cat, the dragon leaned her head to the side and gave off a loud rumbling purr.

"You ready to go see mama?" I asked. Ashe answered by slamming her tail into the ground a few times, still happily leaning into the scratching that I was doing. Patting her snout again, I walked back and swung up into the saddle.

"We'll meet in Zaofu in five days. If you're not there by sunset on day six, I take Korra and head off on my own," I said, pointing at Lin to drive home my point. There was no way I was playing around, not when Zaheer was involved.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there," she replied grudgingly, waving me off. With that, Ashe gave a powerful downward thrust with her wings, forcing us into the air before she climbed skyward with the speed and grace that only a dragon possess.

It was mid to late morning when I arrived over the White Lotus compound. Ashe circled once before landing in the middle of the training yard. None of the guards attacked us or even tried to stop us. I guess the sight of a black dragon was enough to turn our little band of elite fighters into slack jawed, drooling idiots.

Without waiting for conformation or anything, I slid off of Ashe's back and started toward the buildings. It wasn't that hard to figure out which one Korra was in. She was in the final stages of rehabilitation, so the medical hut was the logical choice. Sure enough, I found her and Katara standing next to a set of raised bars.

The young woman was using the bars as a means of support as she attempted to walk under her own power. Although she wasn't having that much difficulty doing so, you could still see her arms shaking as she went, making it clear that she was still getting her strength back. She was moving with her head looking down, her eyes focused on her feet and the floor below her as she went.

As I approached them, Katara took notice of me. Her eyes lit up with surprise and delight at the sight of me. I quickly tapped my finger to my lips, silently telling her to be quiet. My old friend continued to smile brightly, but otherwise honored my silent request and made no indication that I was there. Walking around to the end of the bars where Korra was headed, I stood there with my hands stuffed into my pockets.

"How much longer do I have to keep doing this?" the young Avatar asked, aggravation clear in her voice.

"Only a few more steps," I answered. Korra's head snapped up so fast, I was surprised she didn't accidentally snap it or give herself whiplash. With sudden, renewed vigor, she surged forward and threw her arms around my neck. I happily wrapped my arms around her, savoring the feeling of warmth that came from holding her again.

"I missed you," she said, her voice muffled as her face was buried in my chest.

"I missed you too," I replied before kissing her forehead.

"Ryou, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" Katara asked warmly. My face fell as I took a couple of steps back from Korra.

"Zaheer has escaped, along with others from his group," I said. Korra looked confused, but Katara's face was instantly filled with concern and worry.

"That's not good news," she said.

"No. It's not. I'm here to move Korra to a safer location."

"Um, who's Zaheer?" Korra asked. I frowned as I regarded the young Avatar.

"You mean, you don't remember?"

"If I did I wouldn't be asking about him," Korra deadpanned. I shared a look with Katara.

"Zaheer and his companions are a group of elite fighters, dedicated to bringing down the world's governments. Fourteen years ago they were captured, and have been imprisoned ever since," Katara explained.

"Until now," I added.

"And what does this have to do with me? I'm not a world leader," Korra pointed out.

"But you are the Avatar. They were captured because they tried to kidnap you. Chances are, now that they're free, they're going to try again."

"So then why run? I'm not a little girl anymore, I can fend for myself," she said.

"No, Korra. Zaheer is not someone you want to fight," I said. Korra looked confused. This was the first time I had actively discouraged her from fighting an opponent that wasn't some kind of giant monster. I hoped she realized just how big of a threat I considered him to be from that aspect alone.

Katara came forward and put her hand on Korra's upper arm. The young woman looked at her teacher and mentor, her eyes silently pleading with her to make all of this make sense.

"Zaheer was once a…student of Ryou's. But the two of them had a falling out long ago," she said. I didn't look at either one of them. Zaheer was a sore topic I didn't like thinking about, much less discussing.

"He's one of the most skilled and deadliest warriors I've ever seen. And now he has airbending on top of all that. Neither one of us is getting within the same providence as him, much less fighting him if I can help it," I said, my tone making it clear that the subject wasn't up for debate. Although she looked like she wanted to continue the argument, Korra decided to let it drop. The glare in her eye made it clear, however, that we would be discussing this again.

"So what's the plan?" she asked.

"We are headed to city of Zaofu. We'll hold up there and wait for reinforcements to arrive before planning out our next step," I answered.

"Why not Kyoshi Island? It's closer," she pointed out.

"Zaofu is a fortress, while Zaheer and his little band wouldn't have the slightest bit of trouble getting onto Kyoshi," I explained. Korra looked conflicted, but after a moment she nodded.

"Okay, I trust you. We'll go to Zaofu," she said.

_Elsewhere_.

Zaheer knelt before the white haired man before him. He was meditating on a small raised platform, surrounded by a ring of lit candles with a large Red Lotus banner adorning the wall behind him.

"What are your orders, Master?" Zaheer asked. There were few in the world that the anarchist would listen to, much less obey. The man before him was one of those rare few.

"I have a task for you," he answered without opening his eyes or adjusting his posture. Zaheer perked up slightly, ready for whatever task was presented to him.

"Xian's Tome is being held on Air Temple Island in Republic City. I want you to go there and recover it by any means," he said. Zaheer hid his disappointment behind a stoic mask. They had been heading north, to the prison that held the love of his life. He had been separated from her for fourteen years, and now to be sent away when they were so close to being reunited, he would be lying if he said it didn't effect him.

"I will not fail you, Master," he said before standing and turning away.

"Zaheer." The voice caused him to freeze in his tracks, yet he didn't turn to face him again.

"You are aware that HE has taken it upon himself to protect the Tome and those that house it," he said.

"He means nothing to me," Zaheer said without turning around, his voice containing a hint of bitterness. The deep chuckle that came from behind him sent a chill up his spine.

"You cannot fool me, young one. Familial ties are amongst the hardest to sever. Do you think you can face your father again, if you are confronted with him?"

"I have dedicated myself to you and your teachings, Master Xai Bau. I will not fail," he said, turning to face the white haired man. He leaned forward, eyeing his protégé closely. The intense look he gave him caused goosebumps to stand on Zaheer's arms.

"For all of our sakes, you had best not," he said.

**And that's a wrap. Something of a quick note that you, dear reader, might find interesting. When I first started this series, I intended for Ryou to be around the same age as Kyoshi. Well if you do the math with the dates given, you'll realize that if Ryou is the age he actually claims to be, that means he was born in the year 330 BC. Kyoshi's given birth year is 312 BC, which means that Ryou is eighteen years older than Kyoshi. Now this wouldn't be a problem, except that Ryou claims that he met Kyoshi the day after his twentieth birthday. Those of you with basic math skills will be quick to realize that if this was the case and Ryou is as old as he claims to be, Kyoshi would have been two years old. **

**So does this mean that Ryou has been a liar this whole time? Well, yes and no. In the real world, it means that I suck at math and didn't realize my mistake until much, much later. In the story, it means one of two things. One: Ryou is actually four hundred and eighty two years old, and simply rounds up to save time. Or two: being ageless for so long has made him care so little for how old he actually is that he simply doesn't keep that close of track anymore. In all actuality, it's probably both. But yeah, that's a little tid bit I thought you guys might find enjoyable. **

**You all know the drill, drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, I got a new chapter for ya. This was suppose to be out much sooner, but I had some computer issues. I know this is a little short and kind of a filler, but it's better than nothing.**

Zaofu. City of the Metal Clan. Despite being less than fifty years old, this domed city was already one of the most technologically advanced locations on the face of the planet. It rivaled both Ba Sing Se and Omashu in terms of political power as well, having become one of the major players in the great game that made up the Earth Kingdom.

Korra was in awe before we even touched down, and I couldn't blame her. The metal city was unlike anything we had visited before. As we landed, we were greeted by a small group of people wearing green and gray robes. At the forefront of this group was a woman with gray hair, pistachio green eyes, and a somewhat serious grin on her face.

"Will there ever be a day that you don't make an entrance when you arrive?" she asked, striding forward from the others. I gave her a warm smile as I slid from Ashe's back and stood before her.

"Only when I don't want you to know I'm coming, Su," I replied. There was a moment of silence before she broke out laughing and we embraced in a hug.

"It is good to see you, grandfather," she said when we parted.

"Grandfather? Ryou, who is this?" Korra asked, confused. Su gave her a sympathetic look.

"Lin never mentioned me, did she?" she asked, although the way she phrased it, it didn't really sound like a question.

"Are you surprised?" I asked. Su shook her head.

"No. With the grudge she's been holding against you, I should have expected this."

"So, who are you exactly? How do you know Lin and Ryou?" Korra asked.

"I am Suyan Beifong. Lin's younger sister, and Ryou's great great granddaughter," she replied.

"Wait, seriously?!"

"I think you're missing a great in there, Su," I mused. After a while, generations got hard to keep track of.

"Is there anyone you're not related to?" Korra asked. I gave her an annoyed and somewhat offended look.

"I'll have you know that I haven't spent all that time whoring around, you know," I said.

"You're the sire of how many major blood lines again?" Su asked.

"Only two, thank you very much. I'd say after five centuries I've done a pretty good job of keeping it in my pants to keep the number that low!" I snapped, starting to become annoyed. Korra simply snickered, while Su gave me an amused smile. They were enjoying this way too much.

"Has Lin been in contact yet?" I asked, pushing on to more important matters.

"There's a Republic City airship set to dock here sometime within the next day or so. I'd imagine that would be Lin and whomever she managed to collect to help with this little endeavor," Su answered.

"Excellent. That means she'll be here on time," I said, causing Su to frown.

"You gave her a deadline, didn't you."

"Of course I did. With what's at stake here, absolutely nothing is being taken to chance," I said. Su continued to frown as she motioned for us to follow.

"It's him, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's him," I answered, my voice a little softer now.

"Can I ask…if this Zaheer guy was a student of yours, why did you two have a falling out?" Korra asked. I didn't answer, but rather looked away in shame.

"They had a fundamental difference in world views. Ryou tried to be tolerant of Zaheer's beliefs, but his attempted kidnapping of you was the final straw," Su said for me.

"I'm sorry. It sounds like you two were close. It must have been hard," Korra said.

"It was one of the hardest things I've had to do in my whole life," I said, "Now, we need to get settled, and this topic is depressing me."

"Of course. I'll show you to your room, and dinner will be ready soon," Su said.

* * *

_One, two, three, four, five._

CRACK!

"Ow!" Korra howled, reeling back and shaking her hand in pain. I didn't give her a chance to recover, pressing my attack with the wooden practice sword. Despite being on her back foot, she recovered perfectly, her own wooden blade meeting my own before forcing me back on the defensive. I couldn't keep the smile from my face as we danced about each other in our deadly dance. Sparing had always been one of my favorite pass times with Korra, and it felt good to be doing it again after so long.

"When you said you wanted to spar, I figured you'd go a little easy on me since I just got to walking again," she huffed out.

"And what in our time together would have ever given you that idea?" I asked. Korra pressed her attack with a series of quick blows. I retreated, but quickly countered with a series of my own. The result was us shuffling back and forth across the courtyard with our practice blades moving at speeds almost too quick to follow. But neither one of us could gain the upper hand.

"I just figured you'd give a young woman a pass is all," she said, pausing in a low guard stance to flick her short hair over her shoulder. Oh, she was gonna get it now. I lunged forward to stab at her midsection, intending to reverse my sword at the last second and entangle it with hers, catching her off guard and hopefully disarming her.

_Let me out._

The voice caused me to lose all momentum, and I actually fell over from my sudden loss of balance. Then the pain set in. an unrelenting pressure that seemed to envelop my head from all sides. I hit the ground, my hands clutching at my temples in an effort to stave off some of the pain. Korra saw an opportunity and disarmed me before checking to see if I was alright. I quickly felt a cooling sensation around my head and hands as she bent some water and began to use her healing to try and give me some relief. Thankfully, the pain began to recede.

"What was that all about?" she asked with a concerned tone.

"Vaatu," I answered.

"He's giving you more trouble, isn't he," Korra said. I let out an annoyed huff. If the Spirit of Darkness was anything, he was persistent. Every waking moment it seemed, he was at least badgering me on getting free. He'd toned back his attempts recently, although I suspected it was because he was realizing that the frontal assault wasn't going to work, and as such was going to change tactics.

'_It angers you, doesn't it? Being this close to her?'_ One of the added benefits to having Korra back at my side was just how much it bothered Vaatu. Lying in bed at night with my back pressed to hers, I could practically feel him squirm in the reaches of my mind. To be this close to his natural rival, opposite, and enemy, yet being unable to do anything about it was torture.

_'Keep pushing your luck, boy, and you'll see just how far reaching my wrath can be when I get out of here.'_

_'If you get out of there, Vaatu. If.'_

"It's nothing I can't handle," I said out loud.

"Yeah, until you get an attack in the middle of a fight. I still don't like the fact that you imprisoned him like you did," she stated before bending the water back to one of the skins on her hip.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," I said as I slowly got back to my feet.

"And in the process you've doomed yourself to walking this world forever, never getting to find peace like you wanted." I didn't answer, I didn't look at her. Korra knew my rather lopsided history with my 'condition', and my goal of one day finally achieving a good death and afterlife. When I had trapped Vaatu within myself, I had pretty much thrown all that away, condemning myself to keeping myself alive for as long as possible.

It meant that my family that had gone before me, my past loves, everyone that called me friend only to be claimed by the march of time, all of them were gone now. To protect the world, to keep chaos at bay, I would never know peace, doomed to wander until the end of time.

"I can understand the Avatar doing something like that, but why did you do it, Ryou? You've done enough for this world, haven't you?" she asked. I took her hand in mine and gave her a smile.

"If you think I'm just gonna dump all this on you, you got another thing coming," I replied, "now, ready yourself!" Korra smiled before raising her sword into a ready position again. I assumed my own stance, and for a moment we stared each other down. Then, I lunged forward, starting our spar again.

_1, 2, 3, 4._

The wooden sword flew out of my hand, sailing well beyond my reach. We both looked after it in shock, which quickly melted into anger on my part. This had been a recurring problem for a while now. My left hand wasn't my strong hand, and it was showing.

"Damnit!" I cursed, starting toward the blade, but was stopped as Korra's own appeared at my neck.

"I believe that's my win," she said. I gave her a half smirk before bowing to her, accepting her victory.

"I believe it is, Avatar." She smiled before walking over and picking up the wooden sword.

"Your left hand isn't as strong as your right," she noted.

"No. It's not."

"Give it time. You'll be just as good with it as you were with your right," she said before tossing me the weapon. I caught it with my hand and gave it a twirl.

"Thanks, Korra."

_"Forget it, Ryou. I ain't hiring you or anyone else off that blasted boat, and that's final!" the old man yelled. My face scrunched up as droplets of spit pelted me, but I ignored it and pressed on._

_"Damnit, Zhan, you're being unreasonable! I'm a good deck hand, and you and everyone else knows it!" I snapped, stomping my boot on the dock in frustration. Still, the old man shook his head._

_"Uh uh, no sir. You boys pulled a Ningyo out of the sea. You'll bring bad luck down on all of us," he said. I rolled my eyes so hard my head moved with them._

_"We threw that freak of nature back, and it cost us our boat to boot! By the Spirits, Zhan, any bad luck we brought down on us has already run it's course, can't you see that?" I argued. I was getting no where, as Zhan shook his head again._

_"I ain't workin' with no Ningyo catcher," he said, his tone making it clear there would be no changing his mind. I clenched both my fists and my teeth. It was a struggle not to lose my temper and just straight up punch him in the face._

_"I won't forget this Zhan. I came to you in a time of need and you turned me away because you jump at shadows. One day, this will bite you in the ass," I warned._

_"Get off my dock before I call the Guard, boy," Zhan replied. I shook my head and stormed off, heading back into the market. _

_It was an active day, with several of the boats having brought in large hauls over the past week or so. People were eager to get a product while it was still good. After my argument with Zhan, I couldn't have cared either way. _

_ No job meant no money. No money meant either moving on to find someplace new to live, resorting to crime to survive, or starving. None of these options were very appealing to me. Fishing was all I knew, and heading inland beyond the coastal areas meant that the usefulness of my skill set vanished fast. Somehow I was going to have to convince one of the other boats to hire me on, or learn a new job entirely. _

_ A man crashed through a small, covered cart that someone was selling trinkets from, bringing me out of my thoughts. I recognized him as one of the dock hands I'd seen hanging around. His name escaped me, but I'd seen him working and in the tavern enough to pick him out if need be. He was down on all fours, moaning into the dirt. Given the fact that he had just torn through a cart like it was a paper wall, I couldn't blame him. _

_ Looking to where he had come from, I was greeted with a sight that made my mouth go dry. Her height was the first thing that made her stand out. She towered at a full head higher than just about everyone around her. On top of that, she was wearing armor. I'd never seen anyone other than members of the Guard wearing armor before. _

_ Her hair, a nice, lush, brown, hung down her back and the sides of her head. Her skin was of a lighter tone, and freckles dotted her face. I couldn't say much regarding her figure, given the armor, but I assumed she was very well built. But her eyes, those intense jade green orbs, it was her eyes that made me fall in love with her at that very moment. _

_ Currently, she was holding one guy aloft by his throat, while two others lay bruised and bloodied at her feet. I stood there in awe at the sight of her, silently wondering just what I was bearing witness too. If heaven existed, my only hope was that I would one day be escorted there by a beauty such as this. _

_ "You are going to leave this girl and all the other women around here alone, they are not your playthings. Fail to heed my warning, and I won't be so kind next time," she warned. _

_ "Got it, we'll behave," the man choked out before she released him. Grasping his throat in pain, he and his few companions began to stumble away. Once they were gone, the young woman turned to the girl she'd been standing in front of. She couldn't have been more than a few years younger, in her late teens at the most. _

_ "Are you okay?" _

_ "Yes, thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come along," the girl said. _

_ "What is your name?" the woman asked. _

_ "Lily." _

_ "I won't be able to protect you all of the time, Lily. If you'd like, I can teach you how to defend yourself," she offered. There was a moment of hesitation as Lily considered her offer. _

_ "I...I think I'd like that. And, if you don't mind, I think there are a few others who would like to learn as well," she finally said. The woman seemed to consider this for a short time. _

_ "Very well, but we shouldn't delay. I am not long to stay in Shiroyama," she said. _

_ "I will go and get them quickly, master," Lily said. _

_ "Don't call me master, I'm not a master of anything. My name is Kyoshi, just Kyoshi." _

I woke from the dream with a start, and stared into the darkness of the room around me. Beside me, Korra stirred in her sleep, but quickly settled back into a steady breathing. I looked at her with a small smile before slipping out of bed and stepping out onto the balcony.

It had been a long time since I had dreamed about that day. The first time I had encountered the Avatar, and the start of my century spanning adventure. It had been so long now that the memories of that day were starting to fade some. Details that had once been so vivid were now becoming dull.

In an effort to keep myself from getting depressed, my thoughts turned back to Harmonic Convergence, and the words Raava had spoken while engaged with Vaatu. Had the Avatar Spirit really bonded with me that much over the years? Part of me doubted it. These spirits were hundreds of thousands if not millions of years old. Compared to that, five hundred years was a blink of an eye.

"Can't sleep?" I turned to find Korra leaning in the doorway. A small smile graced my lips as she came closer and leaned her head on my shoulder.

"You'd think after all this time I would be use to insomnia by now," I said.

"You've got a lot on your mind," she said. It wasn't a question, just an observation.

"It comes with age," I replied, giving a tired grin. Despite this, there was no humor in my voice.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked with concern.

"I had a dream. It was about the day I met Kyoshi," I said.

"Oh, well, that's a good thing, right?" she asked. Discussing my relationship with her past life was something that Korra usually found weird and ackward.

"Some of my older memories aren't as clear as they once were, and they only get fuzzier with each passing year. I'm worried there will come a day when I won't be able to remember them at all," I explained. Korra gave me a look that I can only describe as being half amused and half befuddled.

"You're worried about old age memory loss?" she asked. I could see where she was coming from. Having the body of a physically fit twenty year old, this should be the least of my worries. But, the mind and the body are not the same thing. I placed my hand on top of hers.

"The body can last a long time, even without aid. But the mind can only hold so many memories and experences. Sooner or later, something old has to be lost to make room for something new," I said.

"You always manage to make immortality sound really crappy," she noted with an unhappy frown.

"I can only imagine what that white haired bastard must feel. If he's as old as he claims to be, that means he's probably forgotten entire centuries of his life," I said. Shaking her head, Korra turned back toward the bedroom, her hand firmly clutching mine.

"Come on, this is too depressing to talk about," she said. I cocked my eyebrow at her.

"And? Sleep isn't going to help me in this case," I said. She looked back at me and flashed that grin of hers.

"Who said anything about sleep? I'm just going to make sure you take your mind of things," she replied. Oh, this girl, she just succeed where hundreds of others had failed and be the death of me.

**And cut. Like I said, kind of a filler. But, that only means the next one can make up for it. Remember to read, review, and let me know what you guys liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. It's been a bit, and I know it's a short one. But hey, something is better than nothing, right? On with the show. **

Despite being only about seventy years old, the art of metalbending has drastically changed the way the world as a whole fights. Gone, it seems, are the days of non benders facing each other down in pitch battles with sword and spear. A decent metalbender on the front lines can easily render the entire enemy force unarmed, or crush them in their own armor if it's made of the right materials. As a result, the way war was fought was changing, shifting, evolving.

I stood in Zaofu's museum, for lack of a better term, and studied a mural that depicted the history of metalbending. It was defiantly a romanticized version of history, more of the artist's personal project rather than a totally accurate retelling of what happened. For example, Toph's actions during the airship battle at the end of the war were depicted with her wearing an eloquent suit of armor, rather than the crumpled airship hull that it was.

The eyes I felt on my back didn't make me reach for my sword right away. I could tell I was being watched, but I could also tell that the person who was watching me didn't mean me any harm. Turning, I found a young woman standing a short distance away. She wore a green dress, had black hair that hung down to her jawline, and bright green eyes.

"If you want to ask a question, you're never going to get it answered if you just twiddle your thumbs nervously," I said. She stepped forward slightly, but still kept her frame small, clearly nervous.

"Sorry, I just wanted to see if I could get a read on you before actually talking to you," she said.

"And?"

"Well...I really can't get a read on you," she confessed. I gave her an amused smile as I looked her over.

"Why did you want to speak to me?" I asked, despite having already taken a guess. She was the spitting image of a younger Suyan after all.

"My mom referred to you as grandfather, and that got me curious," she said.

"You're Suyan's daughter, aren't you? You look just like her when she was younger," I said. She nodded.

"Yes. My name is Opal," she said. With a smile, I motioned for her to come closer.

"Well, Opal, my name is Ryou. What is it that you would like to know?"

* * *

The gray Republic City airship touched down at the designated landing spot, kicking up a flurry of dust. It's engines hadn't even fully shut down before the side hatch was open, and Bolin was outside looking all around us in awe.

"This place is incredible!" he declared. Mako and Asami disembarked much slower, with Lin being the last to come down the ramp. The scowl etched onto her face was much deeper than usual, a sign of just how much she didn't want to be here. She shoved her way past the still in awe Bolin and glared straight at me.

"There, we made it. Can we leave now?" she asked.

"Without so much as a 'hello'? Come now, Lin, I know you have better manners than that," Suyin said as she appeared at my side. Lin's scowl melted into a full on snarl at the sight of her sister.

"I was hoping to avoid contact with you all together, but it would seem that someone had other plans," she said, directing the last part in my direction.

"Ryou made the choice to come to Zaofu because he trusts me, Lin, why can't you do the same?" Su asked.

"Trust you? After what you pulled.." A hand from me silenced the Chief.

"Enough. We'll discuss this later. Right now, we have other issues to worry about. Namely Zaheer and his group which are probably headed right for us," I interrupted.

"All the more reason for us to leave right now," Lin argued.

"Nonsense. Zaofu is one of the most secure cities on the planet. Korra couldn't be safer anywhere else," Su countered. I pinched the bridge of my nose as the two sisters began to bicker amongst themselves again. While we had been talking, Korra had been catching up with her friends. I made my way over to them, rather than stand there and be the third wheel in a rapidly escalating argument.

"They seem to have a history," Asami noted with a hand on her hip as she watched the two women go back and forth. I simply gave a tired shake of my head.

"They've never really gotten along all that well, even when they were younger. Still, not the worst sibling relationship I've seen," I said.

"Siblings?" Bolin asked, perking up at the new information.

"Yeah, that's Suyin, Lin's younger sister," I said.

"Half!" Lin snapped, taking a brief moment in her arguing to hurl that in our direction. I sighed.

"Of course, she hears THAT part of it," I muttered in annoyance.

"So, what is going on, exactly? We haven't been given much in the way of anything regarding information," Mako said.

"Some really bad guy and his friends are hunting me, that's about all I know," Korra said.

"Zaheer. His name is Zaheer. He use to be a student of mine, until he and his little gang of anarchists tired to kidnap Korra fourteen years ago. Now, they've escaped prison and are without a doubt headed here to try their luck at taking her again," I explained.

"But why now? Korra is, ya know, the Avatar. She can wipe the floor with pretty much anyone she comes up against," Bolin pointed out.

"Which is probably why they want her. Get the Avatar to side with you, and your cause is unbeatable," I replied.

"I'm not siding with anyone," Korra declared. I gave her a soft look.

"There are all sorts of ways of getting someone to cooperate, Korra. Some much nastier than others," I said.

"So what is the plan, exactly?" Mako asked.

"We need to move, and keep moving. Follow a random and unpredictable course and we can stay ahead of Zaheer until he and his lackeys are put down," I answered.

"So you want us to keep running," Korra deadpanned. It was clear by her tone that she didn't like this plan at all.

"I prefer to think of it as 'leading'," I replied, giving her a confident smirk. She gave me a look, one that said she was well aware of the fact that I had a plan, and she was waiting for me to spill.

"Hey! Kiss or kill each other, already! We got stuff to do!" I yelled at the sisters, shutting them up instantly and causing them to turn their glares toward me.

"We were discussing…" Su started.

"No. You were arguing. Pointlessly, I might add. Now, Lin, practice what you preach for once and let the past go, and Su, everyone is here, so lets get that securing part done, yes?" I interrupted. If these two kept at it for much longer, I was getting on Ashe with Korra and flying away. The two sighed before setting off to do their duties. Rubbing my temples, I turned back to the others.

"Supper anyone?" I asked.

Mealtimes in Zaofu were always interesting. Suyin's personal family chief was a reformed pirate with a long beard and tattoos up and down his arms. I found him to be interesting. Since our arrival here, I'd stuck up conversations with him whenever I had some free time. Being as we both had a history with the sea, it was fairly easy that we found common ground. He'd taken it upon himself to have me try some personal dishes he had invented during his sailing days, all of which I found to be rather good. The man had found his true calling here.

Speaking of callings, Su had found hers' in politics. Being as she was the leader of Zaofu, she held political power, regardless if she wanted to admit it or not. She also had no problem in expressing her opinions.

"The idea of a Queen is so outdated, wouldn't you agree, Korra?" she asked.

"Spirits, here we go," I muttered under my breath as I broke apart a dinner roll and applied some butter to it.

"I've never really thought about it," Korra replied, ignoring me.

"You should start. The world is evolving, and the Earth Queen needs to either evolve with it or step aside," Su said.

"Look everyone, my little sister is now an expert on world affairs," Lin said in a mocking tone.

"Lin," I growled in warning, my patience now wearing thin at her antics.

"If you want to talk about what's really bugging you, I'm right here," Su replied, ignoring me. Rather than reply, Lin simply looked away like a pouting child. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"We have more important things to worry about," Lin muttered. I saw a fire ignite in Su's eyes, and decided that was the moment to intervene.

"Korra, why don't you and Opal have a quick practice out in the courtyard, just to see what the girl's got," I suggested, adding in a look to show that it wasn't really a suggestion.

"Sure. Come on, Opal, let's see what you can do," Korra said quickly, having picked up on what was going on. I followed them out, looking back at the sisters who were still glaring at each other. This was going to have to be solved sooner rather than later.

* * *

"I still don't quite understand how all this works," Opal confessed as she followed Korra through the forms of some basic airbending techniques. We were out in a courtyard, using the last light of the day before the city was sealed off. Turns out, the youngest of Suyin's brood was one of these new airbenders that had been popping up all over the place since the end of Harmonic Convergence.

"To be honest, we barely have a grasp on it ourselves," Korra admitted. The two were circling each other, creating a light whirlwind with their bending.

"But it doesn't make any sense! The Beifongs have always been earthbenders, that's what we're known for," Opal said.

"That's not entirely true," I said, speaking up for the first time since their practice session had started. Opal paused in her movements to give me a confused look.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"The original matriarch of the Beifongs, Renchin, was an Air Nomad survivor of the Genocide. The wealth came from her husband, and the earthbending originated with her daughter in law and grandson," I explained. Opal continued to give me a look before returning to her bending practice.

"You sure know a lot about my family history," she noted. I gave a simple shrug.

"Not as much as you think. I kept tabs on them, but never really got involved in their personal lives," I said. This time, I got a look which she turned toward Korra as if to silently ask if I was serious.

"Just go along with it, your head doesn't hurt as much," she said.

* * *

I awoke to the faint sound of glass scraping against glass. Almost instantly, I felt the hair on the back on my neck stand on end. Something wasn't right here. Korra shifted slightly in my arms, muttering something, but not waking up. My eyes shifted around the room, taking care not to move as I was aware that someone was watching us.

Then, I head the sound of a window being slid open. I sat up abruptly, going for my sword hilt on the night stand. A dart appeared in my neck, and rather than grabbing my weapon I tumbled head first out of the bed. My entire body went numb as I recognized the effects of shirshu venom quickly taking hold. Luckily, my movements were enough to stir Korra, and she was wide awake in a flash.

Unluckily, she caught a dart as well, just as she started to send a fireball at our attackers. Korra fell back into the bed, parallelized, just like I was. The attackers were in the room quickly and quietly, taking Korra before heading back in the direction they came; out the window and into the night.

"Quick and quiet. By the time they realize she's gone we'll be half way across the Earth Kingdom," a voice whispered quietly. I felt my blood run cold, having recognized the voice easily. Hands appeared on me, and I felt myself being rolled so that I faced toward the window rather than the wall. Zaheer was looking down at me, a look of accomplishment on his face. He had shaven his head since the last time I saw him, but otherwise he had changed very little in the fourteen years since his imprisonment.

"Zaheer…" I slurred, trying to fight off the effects of the venom.

"This time, I win, Father," he said, spitting out the final word as if it were some curse. With that, he left me slumped against the side of the bed before vanishing into the night with the others.

**And cut. That's all for this time. Sorry for not updating as much lately, my health hasn't been the best. I'll try to update more, but I'm not going to make any promises. As always, you guys know the drill. Drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you guys liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time. **


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